The Grand Blanc girls soccer team won our Flint Journal Team of the Week poll for April 28-May 2, a special all-girls soccer edition, beating out Swartz Creek, Linden, Flint Northwestern and Goodrich. Here's an inside scoop on the team, which finished 13-9-2 overall last year and reached the Division 1 regional semifinals.

Voting drive: Grand Blanc won the Team of the Week poll with more than 3,400 votes, but it wasn't easy. Swartz Creek put up a fight most of the week and in fact led in the beginning, but Grand Blanc players rallied the school, and especially parents, to help out. "Everybody was pretty supportive," sophomore Allie Winterfield said. "Everyone was tweeting, re-tweeting. We even posted it on our mom's Facebooks."

Lowes, Walker are Rice bound: The Bobcats feature a pair of Division I prospects in senior defenseman Alex Lowes and junior forward Annie Walker. Lowes has signed to play in the fall at Rice University while Walker, the team's leading goal scorer, is verbally committed to play at Rice in 2015. "And they're smart students," coach Greg Kehler said. "4.0. They really got a lot going for them, they really do."

Kehler in 19th season: Head coach Greg Kehler is in his 19th season coaching soccer at Grand Blanc High School, the last 17 spent leading both the girls and boys soccer teams. He never taught at the school where his daughters graduated and played, but was approached nearly two decades ago by Hall of Fame coach Doug Burroughs about coaching the freshman team. "Sure, why not," Kehler responded. "I'm here anyway, I'm going to watch games. I love the kids, I love the game -- it's just fun to me."

Best in Genesee County? Grand Blanc tops our latest Flint-area girls soccer rankings, and have for the last few weeks, with its 7-1-3 record. The Bobcats reached the Division 1 regional semis last year, losing to Rochester 1-0, and reached the state finals in 2004 and semifinals in 2005. "We certainly feel like we can compete with anybody," Kehler said, also tipping his hat to Flint Powers and Lapeer West. "Overall in the county, I think it's good to have a balance. It's certainly spread around, but I think we are one of the better ones."

Up next: The Bobcats play at KLAA Lakes division leader Brighton on Tuesday, May 6, but first the team had to get through a little bit of business called prom this weekend. Kehler, who doesn't teach at the school, had plans to practice on Saturday, until he was reminded about prom on Friday night. Practice got moved to Sunday.